How digital activities become (im)possible in Swedish school-age educare centres

This study explores how digital tools play a part in the practices of Swedish school-age educare centres (SAEC). The aim is to contribute knowledge about opportunities and/or obstacles in and with digital activities in SAEC practices. Data is produced using observations and conversations at five SAEC centres. The SAEC practice is found to be characterized by three different approaches to digital tools and their use: 1) A permeating practice, where digital tools are an integrated part of the whole day, 2) A happening practice, where digital tools are present on special occasions, and 3) A neglecting practice, where digital tools are absent. These differences can be connected to how teachers interpret their assignment but also to differences in competence, access, and interest in relation to digital tools. This entails that SAEC pupils are given unequal opportunities to develop digital skills

Power to imagination: An ethnography of imaginary play between children and adults at an afterschool program

In this dissertation study I employ ethnographic research methods to explore play at a multi-generational, multi-cultural afterschool program. Drawing on the New Childhoods perspective and drawing on sociocultural and cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) approaches to learning, I explored the ways that children enacted and transformed their social worlds in and through play with peers, undergraduate college students, and researchers. The study analyzed the development of activities in the afterschool program, and the ways that adults employed mediation strategies that facilitated, supported, or constrained children’s play. Findings show that adults had to (re)learn how to play and re-imagine themselves as collaborators of play. Findings have practical and methodological implications for anthropological research and afterschool programming

Documenting and Assessing Learning in Informal and Media-Rich Environments

An extensive review of the literature on learning assessment in informal settings, expert discussion of key issues, and a new model for good assessment practice. Today educational activities take place not only in school but also in after-school programs, community centers, museums, and online communities and forums. The success and expansion of these out-of-school initiatives depends on our ability to document and assess what works and what doesn't in informal learning, but learning outcomes in these settings are often unpredictable. Goals are open-ended; participation is voluntary; and relationships, means, and ends are complex. This report charts the state of the art for learning assessment in informal settings, offering an extensive review of the literature, expert discussion on key topics, a suggested model for comprehensive assessment, and recommendations for good assessment practices.Drawing on analysis of the literature and expert opinion, the proposed model, the Outcomes-by-Levels Model for Documentation and Assessment, identifies at least ten types of valued outcomes, to be assessed in terms of learning at the project, group, and individual levels. The cases described in the literature under review, which range from promoting girls' identification with STEM practices to providing online resources for learning programming and networking, illustrate the usefulness of the assessment model

Digital Literacies to Develop Biliteracy: A Case Study of Latino Students Exploring Multimodal Writing in English and Spanish

Schools in the United States are witnessing a rich ethnic and linguistic diversity in their student corpus. Languages spoken by these children vary from state to state; however, Spanish is the second language most spoken after English (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2015). As a nation, there is a tremendous potential for these students to become biliterate or academically proficient in Spanish and English. Furthermore, with the advent of the 21st century, the educational setting is experiencing an increased interest in the integration of technology in education and students are prompted to become digitally literate. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study is to describe how emergent bilingual second-grade students utilize their full linguistic repertoire when using digital literacies in their academic writing, in English and Spanish. Furthermore, this study investigates how multimodal writing facilitates the development of biliteracy. The study revealed four findings. First, Latino students utilize bilingual practices, such as metalinguistic awareness and translanguaging to construct texts. Second, emergent bilinguals use online collaboration and modes of meaning to develop their voice and writing while engaging in multimodal writing. Third, multimodal writing supports the development of vocabulary and spelling. Fourth, multimodal writing empowers bilingual students

Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning

Edited by a diverse group of expert collaborators, the Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning is a landmark volume that brings together cutting-edge research examining learning as entailing inherently cultural processes. Conceptualizing culture as both a set of social practices and connected to learner identities, the chapters synthesize contemporary research in elaborating a new vision of the cultural nature of learning, moving beyond summary to reshape the field toward studies that situate culture in the learning sciences alongside equity of educational processes and outcomes. With the recent increased focus on culture and equity within the educational research community, this volume presents a comprehensive, innovative treatment of what has become one of the field’s most timely and relevant topics

Mobile devices supporting international students to overcome language and cultural difficulties during study abroad

Sociocultural theory (SCT) emphasises the role of mediation in learning. International students find themselves in a vicious cycle, experiencing difficulties when engaging with native speakers and local environment which might provide the mediation necessary to help them gain intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Mobile technologies provide alternative mediational tools that might help students to break this cycle. This study aims to explore international students’ use of mobile devices in the mediation of difficulties encountered during study abroad. Two main research questions that need to be answered are: RQ1. What difficulties did international students report that they experienced during a one-year study abroad? RQ2. What solutions did international students report that they implemented to overcome their difficulties during their study abroad? What role (if any) did mobile devices play in dealing with students’ difficulties? Eight Chinese international students who were doing one-year taught master’s courses in the UK participated in the study. Each student was asked to keep a diary of their everyday difficulties and their solutions for four weeks. In the diary, participants were asked to record the nature of their difficulties, the situations, their solutions, and the mediational tools that they employed. Moreover, in order to explore issues raised in the diaries further and check the interpretation of the data, students were asked to attend a weekly interview. The content analysis approach was applied to examine the students’ difficulties according to a framework of ICC, and their solutions and the use of technologies, especially mobile devices, based on SCT and cognitive tools. The results indicated that the students had difficulties in every dimension of ICC, and solved the difficulties by communication, self-efforts, finding references and critical cultural thinking. Mobile devices mediated the problem solving and cognitive process as searching tools, social tools, information providers, presenting tools and capture tools

Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning

Edited by a diverse group of expert collaborators, the Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning is a landmark volume that brings together cutting-edge research examining learning as entailing inherently cultural processes. Conceptualizing culture as both a set of social practices and connected to learner identities, the chapters synthesize contemporary research in elaborating a new vision of the cultural nature of learning, moving beyond summary to reshape the field toward studies that situate culture in the learning sciences alongside equity of educational processes and outcomes. With the recent increased focus on culture and equity within the educational research community, this volume presents a comprehensive, innovative treatment of what has become one of the field’s most timely and relevant topics

Aprendizagem da língua inglesa com tecnologias móveis : motivação, produção oral e competência digital

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar as aprendizagens dos alunos relativas à motivação e ao desenvolvimento de competências específicas e transversais decorrentes de um projeto de integração de tablets no 3º ciclo do ensino básico, num modelo de “um equipamento por aluno”, ao longo do ano letivo 2015/2016, num colégio na área de Sintra. Participaram no estudo 106 alunos, divididos em três turmas de 7º e uma de 8º ano, e os respetivos professores de Inglês. Sendo o uso da tecnologia móvel para a aprendizagem da Língua Inglesa o foco deste trabalho, as questões de investigação centraram-se na avaliação das mudanças nas seguintes variáveis: i) motivação dos alunos para a aprendizagem do Inglês, ii) níveis de desempenho em produção oral e iii) desenvolvimento da competência digital. Exploraram-se ainda as diferenças entre alunos iv) num primeiro e num segundo ano de utilização de tablets, bem como v) com e sem necessidades educativas especiais. O estudo envolveu ainda um processo de revisão sistemática de literatura procurando identificar benefícios e constrangimentos deste tipo de integração. O estudo adotou uma metodologia mista de recolha e análise de dados, recorrendo a escalas de motivação, a questionários de competências digital, a instrumentos de avaliação da produção oral dos alunos em Inglês, e entrevista aos docentes. Seguiu-se uma estratégia explanatória sequencial de recolha e análise de dados. Nos resultados sobressaem melhorias nos alunos com níveis moderados de motivação e de confiança na competência digital. Em termos de anos de adoção, salientam-se as melhorias no 2º ano quanto à motivação, produção oral e confiança na competência digital, sendo a melhoria mais evidente no 1º ano a proficiência digital. É também evidente a melhoria na competência digital do grupo dos alunos com NEE, tanto na proficiência como na confiança.The aim of this study was to analyse students’ learning regarding motivation and the development of specific and transversal competences resulting from a tablet integration project in the 3rd cycle of compulsory education, in a “one to one” model, throughout the 2015/2016 school year, at a private school in the area of Sintra. 106 students participated in the study, divided into three classes of the 7th and one of the 8th grade, and their teachers of English. Since the use of mobile technology for English language learning is the central point of this study, the research questions focused on the evaluation of changes in the following variables: i) students’ motivation to learn English, ii) performance levels in oral production and iii) development of digital competence. Differences between students were also explored iv) in a first and second year of tablet use, as well as v) in students with and without special educational needs. The study involved a systematic literature review process seeking to identify benefits and constraints of this type of integration. The study adopted a mixed methodology for data collection and analysis, using motivation scales, digital competence questionnaires, assessment tools for students’ oral production in English, and an interview to the teachers. A sequential explanatory strategy for data collection and analysis was followed. Improvements emerged in students with moderate levels of motivation and confidence in digital competence. In terms of years of adoption, the improvements in the 2nd year are to be highlighted, concerning motivation, oral production and confidence in digital competence, with proficiency being the most evident improvement in the 1st year. The improvement in the digital competence of the group of students with SEN is also evident, both in proficiency and confidence

Liderazgo en la promoción de la actividad física: Estrategias efectivas en la movilización de activos

El Congreso Internacional “Capas Cité – Ciudad”: Liderazgo en la promoción de la actividad física: Estrategias efectivas en la movilización de activos / Leadership in physical activity promotion: Effective strategies for mobilizing assets (https://congresohuesca.capas- c.eu/), organizado por CAPAS Cité-Ciudad (https://capas-c.eu/), tuvo lugar entre los días 7 y 9 de noviembre de 2019 en la ciudad de Huesca. Este Congreso pretendía, entre otros aspectos, sintetizar los avances científicos que se han producido en los cuatro años de intenso trabajo en el proyecto Europeo CAPAS-Ciudad (Centro Pirenaico de Promoción de la Actividad Física y la Salud). Aunque en este proyecto han participado activamente cuatro socios (los Ayuntamientos de Tarbes y Huesca y las Universidades de Pau y Zaragoza.), el grupo de investigación Educación Física y Promoción de la Actividad Física (EFYPAF) de la Universidad de Zaragoza ha desarrollado un arduo trabajo en tres de las líneas de investigación del proyecto: - Promoción de comportamientos saludables en jóvenes. - Desplazamiento activo al centro educativo. - Promoción de comportamientos saludables en poblaciones prioritarias. En base a estas líneas de investigación, se decidió también que el congreso se dividiese en tres ejes temáticos vinculados con la promoción de comportamientos saludables: ámbito educativo, ámbito comunitario y contextos prioritarios. Este encuentro internacional reunió a más de 250 profesionales de diversas disciplinas relacionadas con la salud y la educación (docentes, educadores físicos, nutricionistas, enfermeros, médicos, etc.) con el objetivo de analizar diferentes acciones y compartir estrategias efectivas para mejorar los comportamientos saludables de toda la población en los distintos ámbitos de actuación. .